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Herbal medicine is more than Eastern treatment using plants and herbs; it incorporates a philosophy - a school of thought - that realizes that the mind and the body are connected. What affects one will affect the other. At the same time, an ailment in one part of the body could be a sign that there is an imbalance in a different part of the body.
In fact, herbal medicine focuses on a holistic approach to treatment. Herbal medicine is designed to treat the source of the problem, not just the symptoms.
The word health comes from the Greek word hugianino (pronounced hoog-ee-ahee-no). It means "to be sound in body". Herbal medicine embraces this philosophy.
There is a theory that the treatment for every ailment or illness can be found in nature. Eastern and Indian medicine follow this theory.
However "natural" Eastern Chinese or Indian medicine may be, it is even more effective when combined with Western science and medicine.
My best friend's mother developed cancer from asbestos. I referred her to a traditional Chinese doctor for treatment. I hadn't met this doctor prior to our scheduled appointment, but I had heard great things about her. I attended the appointment with my friend and his mother and explained what the doctor was doing while she was examining her.
The doctor asked my friend's mother to stick out her tongue.
"Stick out my tongue?" She said.
I told her this was so the doctor could diagnose her internal organs.
The doctor took her pulse from six locations on her wrist. The woman looked perplexed.
I told her the doctor was doing pulse diagnosis to see which organs were being affected by the cancer.
After the session I noticed that the doctor's name tag said "M.D." I asked her why she was doing traditional Chinese medicine if she was a member of the AMA.
She told me, "It is better to walk on two legs than one."